Fastheld Ponders Refuge
The Imperial Engineering Corps. of the Imperial Watch are currently surveying the Crown's Refuge palisade for structural fatigue caused by general wear and tear, and structural damaged caused by the recent assault from the "Acarit" forces. Once the report is completed, it is believed that the Imperial Engineers will set to work repairing any damage that they find, and there are also rumors of the Imperial Crown wishing for three ballista towers to be constructed at the ends of each dividing Pathway to protect the citizens of Crown's Refuge from future threats. The Crown's Bulwark is also being evaluated to see if any improvements can be made upon the gates to allow them to withstand greater force. Resources for these projects - such as quarried stone - will have to be delivered by river, giving the Empire incentive to allow sailing from Fastheld to Crown's Refuge. The Imperial Tribunal is set to take command of the Ironcrest Hall in the near future, and will be expected to establish a small contingent of Tribunal agents inside the hall to better serve the people of Crown's Refuge. The Blood Guard will also be converted into a sub-faction of the Imperial Tribunal before being placed on fully active sentry duty of Tempest Spire. However, given that the Blood Guard was modeled upon the Imperial Tribunal to begin it, it is believed that both groups will get along well, and there are early indications of the Tribunal being exceptionally impressed with the conservative skill and discipline on display by both the Wildlander and Syladris members of the Guard. The Imperial Watch will also be using Ironcrest Hall as a base of operations within the city, and will soon replace the Blood Guard upon the palisade battlements. Plans to build an Imperial Watchtower at the base of Drakesreach Bluff to replace the old wooden watchtower (that was often manned by Wildlings of the Green Tribe!) that once stood when Crown's Refuge was in its infancy are also under consideration. There are calls to establish Halls of Healing within the Refuge as well, given the number of dangers that Wildlanders are subject to every time they venture out into the Wildlands. Any Freelanders or Nobles that accompany Wildlanders in the future will also be subject to these dangers, and the Empire is said to be concerned about turning a blind eye to potential wounded that may result from exploration. Equally, Duchess Rowena Mikin's journals upon the potential benefits of Wildlands medicine have created an incentive for further study that can then be used to improve the healthcare of all citizens of the Empire. The Imperial Crown is said to be looking into recruiting Wildlander hunters and rangers to act as guides to those of the Imperial Ranger Commission to help them study the local lands and wildlife, while those same Wildlanders are believed to eagerly sought by Nobles looking to add highly skilled marksmen to their roster of potential contacts and agents. The Imperial Cult is pondering the establishment of a chapel within the Refuge, though at present is said to be at a loss as to what or who it would be named for. Meanwhile - and perhaps most unexpected of all - the Stanchion is actively seeking involvement within Crown's Refuge in order to document the history and lore of the Wildlands and the Wildlanders who have lived there, including tracing ancestry back to Fastheldian roots. The cartography of the Wildlands and the cataloguing of Wildlands flora and fauna is also believe to be of great interest to the former Scourges of the Stanchion, and the Stanchion itself will most likely petition the Imperial Crown for greater involvement in the coming weeks and months.